Central States Numismatic Society Convention Show Report: Part 3

Our bags are packed and another Central States Numismatic Society Convention is in the history books. This one, of course, will be well-remembered as the Diamond Jubilee convention of the CSNS. If proof were needed, it shows that Central States remains an important and historic organization.

The next time CoinWeek will be in the Chicago metropolitan area is August 5-9, for the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont. It’s shaping up to be a spectacular show, with several hundred exhibitors and a totally stacked auction to be conducted by Stack’s Bowers.

Getting back to this show, David shot hours of interesting and educational footage concerning the Civil War, the theme organizers chose to highlight this year. Dennis Boggs, otherwise known as Mr. Abraham Lincoln, was a featured speaker.

Andy Abel with 1804 Dollar author Mark Ferguson

I met up with Andy Abel, who has taken over co-hosting duties on The Coin Vault after the recent passing of longtime anchor Robert Chambers. Abel is a third-generation numismatist, who comes from the SilverTowne family. He shared his thoughts with us on his new gig, what it’s like to be a TV coin salesperson, and what’s hot in the marketplace (hint: Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins).

PCGS’s Miles Standish echoed Andy’s sentiments, explaining that the Baseball Hall of Fame coin has been a spectacular program for both PCGS and PCGS dealers. PCGS Signature labels featuring Cassie McFarland will hit the marketplace soon (if they haven’t already by the time you read this), and PCGS has signed several Hall of Fame baseball players to agreements to sign additional labels, many on a very limited basis

These will trickle out in the weeks to months ahead.

ANA President Dr. Walter A. Ostromecki, Jr., was present at the CSNS Public Meeting to award incoming CSNS President Bruce Perdue with the ANA Presidential Award. Those in attendance congratulated Bruce on receiving what is the third highest award the ANA bestows upon its members. Also in attendance was former ANA President and Governor Clifford Mishler, who gave an impassioned personal statement on the residency qualifications of one of the incoming governors. We spoke with CSNS council about the issues he brought up and were told that the board had looked into them earlier and were satisfied that the candidate fulfilled all criteria necessary to be eligible to run for the position. We expect an official statement in the near future.

CSNS President Bruce Purdue

Many of the dealers I talked to said they had a good show. The traffic, from my point of view, seemed a little lighter than what we saw at Baltimore, but felt on par with the ANA’s National Money Show in Atlanta.

Ultimately, however, it isn’t about foot traffic. It’s about buyers. Heritage had a fantastic auction and if that action was shared on the bourse floor, then the Central States Numismatic Society’s 75th Anniversary Convention was a big success.

This morning, all that remains on the schedule is breakfast and the handing out of awards. Then it’s wheels up and back to Richmond for me and Texas for Dave. We’d like to thank all our readers who stopped by our booth and chatted with us. We hope to see you again in August.